Harvest 2010

Traminette Grapes, ready for picking

Nellie is a major part of the vineyard.

William cuts bunches with a grape fork.

If you're following us on Facebook you probably already know that this week was the first week of harvest for us. Richard started picking first thing Monday morning, but everyone helped out on Tuesday and by Wednesday the Traminette was finished and ready for pressing. We also received a delivery of Traminette grapes from growers in Talbot County this week which we added to our harvest. The press ran all day Wednesday, in 3 cycles pressing 3800 pounds and producing 300 gallons of juice.

Richard and William stacking tanks

William purchased some interesting new wine tanks last month. I'm not sure what's the reason for the corners, but their main benefit is that they're stackable. They also have a different cooling system so they work well as the first station the juice goes to after pressing. We pump the juice into here where it can settle for 24 hours and then be sent on to another tank to undergo fermentation.

Hurricane Earl caused a stir regarding the corn harvest and Joe and William worked late into the night trying to cut as much corn as possible. Fortunately the storm has passed through Salem fairly mildly today with just winds and rain. Alison Layton came in the office just after lunch to announce that the hurricane is officially over.

Along with picking and pressing grapes we're getting the winery ready for several events this fall. The 1st Annual Harvest Festival on September 25 promises to be a good time. The trophies came in for the fishing contest and all the details are on our website for anyone who'd like to participate. We've signed up a young girl from 4H to offer Pony Rides, and Tommy Buckets and JohnE Wa2C have committed to performing live music throughout the day. Keep checking our site for more info and mark it on your calendar as a good day to visit the winery!

RAtG jams out

It's been a little while since I've had the chance to post but that just means things are staying busy at the winery. This past weekend we had a great show by Rusted Axle and the Gingers- Alex Wersen and Dick "Rusty" Morris and his daughters Claire and Emily. There were excellent vocals by the girls and impressive guitar playing by Alex and Rusty despite the afternoon heat. One group of visitors, the "Boat People", enjoyed the show so much that they convinced RAtG to play on for another hour. A good afternoon to be on the porch.

Last week we started preparing the winery for the production season. We've got a machine that separates grapes from their stems and crushes them, which is what we'll use for making red wine. Richard tested it and Barbara was super impressed at the efficiency of the process. There are two new wine tanks in the tank room that will significantly increase our wine-making capacity this season.

What's coming up- wine festivals in September and October, and a big festival to celebrate the harvest! September 25 will be our 1st Annual Harvest Festival- so for everybody who's ever wanted to stomp grapes, this will be your chance to come out and do it! Check our website for full details, but in addition to grape stomping we'll have tractor rides, a fishing contest, a moon bounce, live music by Tommy Buckets and JohnE Wa2C, and concessions by Millie's Roadhouse. $5 entry for adults (21 & up) includes wine tasting. Free entry for kids and youth under 21.

We do need some volunteers for the Maryland Wine Festival on September 18 and 19, and at Pemberton on October 16 and 17, so if you're interested shoot us an email (info@laytonschance.com) and I'll sign you up.

It's getting close to harvest now and now is the best time to visit a vineyard, with bunches of grapes hanging heavy on the vines! Come check it out!

August!

I can't believe that summer is passing by. The breeze yesterday morning really made it seem like we were approaching fall, but the humidity kicked in midday and reminded me that we're still in the thick of it. The grapevines are just beautiful these days. I tasted a Chambourcin grape this afternoon and it is only slightly sour now. With sugar content rising at a rate of 1.5% weekly, they will be ready in a few short weeks. We're looking at a mid-September harvest (and we'll need help so stay tuned if you're interested in picking grapes!). On September 25 we're planning a harvest festival to celebrate the bounty of the vines, and to get our feet dirty with a good old fashioned grape stomp!

In other wine news, the watermelon wine is in the tank and doing well. It has a strong watermelon flavor, although right now the scent of yeast is pretty strong on the nose. As someone mentioned today, the liquid has lost most of it's color and is only a very pale pink. Our sample batches have turned almost clear after sitting. Maybe that's another reason for blending fruit wine with [grape] wine- to offer a nicer color. Regardless, we're still planning on doing a straight watermelon wine so let's keep our fingers crossed that it works! Brice Stump of the Daily Times wrote a great article about the watermelon wine in this weeks' paper- check it out here.

This weekend's entertainment has changed but still promises to be a good time. Randy Lee Ashcraft and the Saltwater Cowboys had to postpone their performance, but we're excited to welcome them to the winery in October. In lieu of the Saltwater Cowboys we'll have JohnE Wa2C- a duo from Easton playing classic rock music from favorite artists like James Taylor, Dylan, the Beatles, you name it. The band plays from 2-5 and admission is $5 at the door.

In a Jam

The music's pumping and people have settled in with their bottles of wine. There is a nice breeze blowing and the summer heat wave has subsided a little to make the evening very pleasant. Joe has set up an outside cash bar to offer easy access to chilled wine.



Jen, Laura and Barbara are working in the tasting room, greeting guests and doing wine tastings. We've got sandwiches from Millie's and freshly prepared cheese plates from our local creameries for people to munch on. But the best part of the evening are our Wine Slushies! It's a mix called Frappe Vino and we blend it with Chambourcin wine to make a delicious frozen drink.



Almost the whole crew is here tonight- Richard's on crowd control and William is leading vineyard and winery tours. For our second big music event I think we're finally figuring out how to make sure everything runs smoothly. Band plays til 8 so stop reading the blog and come enjoy the evening!

Another shore winery!

Congratulations to Costa Ventosa! Today marks the opening of another winery on the Chesapeake Wine Trail and an excellent reason to visit Maryland's lower shore.

Maybe it was momentum from the weekend carrying over into the week, but we got off with a bang on Monday morning and things have hardly slowed down since. Word is getting out about Layton's Chance, and many people are stocking up on cool wine for their beach vacations. It's really only a short detour from Rt. 50 and a good place to take a stretch break or have your lunch. And the grapes are so beautiful right now, heavy on the vines and just starting to ripen!

The Cambridge Fire Company invited us to serve wine at the Powerboat Regatta next weekend at Sailwinds. It's a huge fundraising activity for the fire company and now also a chance to showcase local wine. We'll be there, so stop by and say hi when you see us!

On top of this, we're getting ready for a concert at the end of the month. Kevin Turner of Trappe came out to our Memorial Day concert and enjoyed himself so much that he asked to come back and bring his band of musicians. We've heard great things about their performance- classic country and good times! Saturday, July 31 from 5-8. $5, tickets available at the door. Don't forget your concert gear!

Eventful weekend

We had several events over the weekend and their momentum carried us through the week. On Friday I did a wine tasting at the Pitt Stop in Pittsville (on the Ocean City side of Salisbury) and had the chance to talk to new people about what we're doing here. Folks really get interested when they hear that we're making wine right down the road. The family who runs the Pitt Stop has put a lot of work into offering a varied wine and beer selection and they give the place a very friendly atmosphere. Apparently the local customers agree, since many came in for one item and stayed to chat and taste wine.

The rain all day Saturday seemed to be good encouragement to visit the winery and Joe and Laura had their hands full with visitors in the tasting room. Juanita Weber, namer and first lady of the Layton's Chance Winos came in with friends for her free case (and to celebrate!) The sky even cleared up at one point so that Joe could take two ladies on a farm tour, the first of many I expect.

Rain returned in the evening and we didn't get much of a sunset for Sundaes @ Sunset, but everyone who showed up definitely enjoyed a sundae! Vanilla ice-cream, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, chocolate syrup and whipped cream- plus a splash of Joe's Cool Red for the wine lovers.

Laura and Joe took advantage of the quiet evening by relaxing in their usual spots on the front porch.

Erik and Errol came on Sunday from the Delmarva tourism's Host Our Coast program. William gave them a full tour and tasting in the production area, then put them to work a little scooping watermelon. We've made several batches to experiment and refine a recipe and William says we'll be ready to do a large batch at the end of the month. Stay tuned for a date- we'll be looking for volunteers to help scoop melons! Many hands makes light work!

4th of July!

I hope the heat doesn't scare folks off, though we certainly enjoyed the pleasant weather of the past week. It was 87 when I drove in this morning and keeps getting hotter...

This is the time of year that work in the vineyard calms down a little bit, but with the 5 acres of new vines there has been a lot to keep up with. Nellie finished painting posts and Richard has run all the wire so it's really starting to look good. We'll have to think about deer fencing come fall, especially since the vineyard borders Richard's favorite hunting spot.

We held our first volunteer training last weekend with the enthusiastic bunch that showed up. First assignment- Sundaes @ Sunset- next Saturday night. We'll scoop and pour and you can enjoy the view. Kid friendly event!

William held a radio interview with Cleveland Rippons on ESPN Radio last Wednesday. It was a great opportunity to talk about the winery and get the word out about our upcoming events. For everyone who didn't receive the most recent newsletter, make sure to sign up so we can send you our event calendar!

More music coming up at the end of the month- In a Jam (classic country) on July 31, and Randy Lee returns with the Saltwater Cowboys on August 8th. We'll also have guest author Terry White here to do a dramatic reading of some of her poetry and literature on July 31.